Repeated History: In Theory
by RedTailedHawkens
Summary: Chloe is a prisoner of the suicide squad. She has a plan of escape, but that plan is interrupted by an unforeseen journey to her past. Faced with past mistakes, will Chloe be strong enough to not alter the timeline, or will she be unable to resist.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Before I begin this story, I feel a huge explanation is in order, so brace yourselves. Back when I used to make up stories, but before I wrote them down or knew what fanfictions were, one of my favorite plotlines was time travel. I loved the concept from a person from a later season in a show getting stuck in an earlier season, or vice versa. However, I could never make the story quite work. Recently, I have come up with a concept that I think actually has an appeal. The timing is ironic because I am coming out with a story about sending Chloe to the past right after Cat-Hattin comes out with a story with a similar concept in his/her story called _Chaos Theory_ (which I recommend by the way. I actually rather like her/his work. _The Making Of A Monster_ made me cry). Maybe it is not the best time to come out with story, but I have been obsessed with this concept for, literally, years, and I finally have an outlet. Also, I have it so perfectly crafted to work in my head, and I am afraid if I wait, I will lose it and it will not be as good.

I chose to have this story take place in season four. I think it is a good place because Lois and Lana are both around, Pete is gone, but most importantly, it is just after Chloe has found out about Clark. This is actually one of my favorite points in the entire series. I loved how Chloe would pretend she did not know and imply things. It was so funny, and I kind of wish that they had kept it going a little longer.

This story will contain Chlollie, Chimmy, Chlark (friendship), Clana, and possibly more, but I do not know yet. I am very excited about it.

So here it is. I hope you enjoy, and I look forward to your reviews. Also, check my profile page because I add new stuff to it all the time.

Prologue

Chloe, Lana, Lois, and Clark all sat in the Kent living room. They had a huge test tomorrow and they were cramming. Well, Lois was actually just their to help Chloe and Lana study…and because she lived their.

"You know, I didn't drop out of college to spend my Friday night cramming for a test on the roaring twenties."

"As I recall, you did not drop out, you were kicked out." Clark said with a smirk.

"And that, is why I am not helping _you_ study, Kent." Lois said, smirking.

"It's quite a storm out there." Lana said, turning her head at the sound of the thunder. Almost as if on cue, the power went out.

"Great." Lois said.

"Relax," Chloe said, smirking at her negative cousin, "I'll go check the fuse box." Chloe knew her ay around the Kent household well enough to get to where they kept the flashlights and make her way towards the fuse box. When she was halfway to the Kent's fuse box, Chloe saw an odd bright glow coming from the Kent living room. She headed back in, and was met with some of the most shocked faces she had ever seen. They looked from her to the floor where a blonde girl lay unconscious.

One minute earlier

"I'll go check the fuse box."

Clark watched Chloe get up. With his supervision, he could see pretty well in the dark. "You sure, cause I don't mind-" but Chloe was already gone. It was just as well. She never would have listened to him anyway; she was too independent for that. Yes, it was his house, and his abilities made it safer for him, but she did not know the latter part; aside from that, there was no use arguing with Chloe Sullivan.

"I guess we can't study in the dark. Oh, darn." Lois said sarcastically. Clark gave her a look, even though he knew she could not see it. Suddenly, a great green and orange light started swirling in the middle of the room. Clark started to feel sick, which did not surprise him seeing the greenish tint to the unnatural light tornado-ing in his living room. When the light let up, it revealed Chloe, standing in the middle of it. She looked almost sick. Her eyes rolled upwards and her eyelids closed as she collapsed on the floor. Clark, moving quickly (but not too quickly), caught her, and laid her gently on the carpet. It then occurred to him it would probably be better to lay her down on the couch, when he heard her voice. It was not, however, coming from the ground, but behind him.

"Okay, I know I did not make it to the fuse box yet, but what was with the freaky lightshow?" Chloe walked into the room. Clark stared at her, as did Lois, and Lana. They looked from Chloe to…Chloe. The Chloe who-had just walked in's gaze fixed on the Chloe lying on the ground. At first, she just seemed confused, but then, her face began to turn white. She looked like she was about to open her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Clark looked down again and saw that the Chloe who he was leaning over had begun to stir.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Clark?" CHLOE asked raspyly as she opened her eyes. To say she was surprised by her surroundings would be an understatement. It had been a long time since she had seen him. And an even longer time since she had seen Lana. And she had never come face to face with herself.

As she attempted to stand, she faltered a little. Clark reached out to steady her. He might not know who she was, but she _looked_ like Chloe, and he felt protective of her.

She examined her surroundings. Lana was around, still sporting her long hair, and not keeping the necessary ten-foot distance from Clark that the Prometheus Suit would have required. Lois's hair, as well as her other self's, looked slightly different, and all of them looked younger. It did not take Chloe long to deduce what had happened; somehow, she had been transported to the past. Judging by the other Chloe and Lois's hair, she would guess either senior year of high school, or freshman year of college.

"Why am I over there?" the other Chloe asked, finally finding her voice. Nobody had an answer. "Who are you, exactly?"

CHLOE sighed. This was going to take some explaining.

"That's a…complicated question. But the simplest, most honest answer I can give you is, I'm you."

Chloe stared at her older self, confused, shocked, and a little bit frightened. She had seen some strange things in her day, but this brought identity theft to new, disturbing heights. "Can we please do something about the crazy person that looks like me?"

"What do you mean you're her?" Clark asked, in a slightly calmer, yet still very confused tone.

"Clark, why are you talking to her, she is obviously some sort of psychopath. Either she really thinks she's me, or she is trying to pretend she is me. Either way, this is a huge 'danger Will Robinson' moment."

"I am you. But not from now. What year is it?"

"So you expect us to believe you are me from the future?"

"What?"

CHLOE smiled, but Clark noticed that her smile was somber and watered down, as supposed to the megawatt smiles he was accustomed to seeing on her face. "You just proved my point." CHLOE said. Chloe stared at her; "you are the only one in this room who understood what I meant by 'not from now.' That's because we think the same way… in some respects. And I can prove it, but I really do need to know what year it is."

"2005." Clark answered. He wanted to get to the bottom of this. Chloe, however, was a little more uneasy with the concept of cooperating with her doppelganger. She shot him a look.

"When in 2005? What's going on right now?"

"We just got a dog." Clark offered, trying to help give her an idea of when she was.

"Clark!" Chloe said, getting agitated with him. That girl was _not_ her, older or otherwise. She believed in the wall of weird, so something like this could conceivably happen, but having another her walk around was a little creepy. She did not like the idea of a stranger with her face.

CHLOE turned to herself. She knew she was the person she needed to convince the most. If Chloe believed her, they all would, and then she could focus on the task at hand.

"For about two weeks now you've been sitting on something pretty big which has completely altered your perspective on your life and the people in it, one in particular. "

That was enough. She knew it would be, she knew herself. And her suspicions were confirmed when Chloe's eyes widened in recognition. "Okay. You're Mcfly, I get it." she said quickly, trying to shut herself up. The fact that you have a pretty big secret is never something you want broadcasted in front of all of your friends. Already she could feel Lois, Clark, and Lana's questioning eyes on her.

"I don't actually know how I got here, but I do know I need to get back." CHLOE said, playing decoy for herself. Her voice was still raspy.

"Would you like something to drink?' Clark asked. CHLOE nodded. He grabbed a water bottle from the kitchen and gave it to her.

Clark noticed how she was drinking, chugging the beverage down as if she had not had a drink in weeks. The whole thing was empty within second.

"Thanks." She said. Clark just stared at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked cautiously.

CHLOE smiled, but didn't answer.

"So, what happens now?" Lois asked, sick of the awkward silence that the group was giving into.

"Well, clearly I need to get home, and the first step to that is figuring out how the hell I got here in the first place. So, I need a computer to track any residue in the atmosphere of anything that could lead to anything that could relate to how I got here. I need to borrow somebody's laptop." Chloe produced hers. It was eerie to have yourself say thank you to you, but she smiled gratefully as she watched her older self-start the thing up. "I mean, it's a long shot, but since whatever sent me here hasn't happened yet, there is only so much I can work off of." Chloe waited for it to start up, "It's been a long time since I've worked with this level of tech, but I think I can make it work."

When the computer finally started, Chloe began scanning the area for traces of Kryptonite dust in the atmosphere. She knew her options, Kryptonion/other alien technologies, Kryptonite radiation, technological advances from one of the major companies of the twenty-first century, or magic. She was hoping for radiation, as it would be the easiest to find, safest to explain, and simplest to reverse. Magic would probably be all right, as it was not bound by the four dimensions, so she could track traces even now, and thanks to Lana's ancestor, her friends already knew about the existence of magic so she would not have to tiptoe around the issue. However, she did not know how to harness or reverse magic, meaning she would need to call on somebody who did. The only person she could think of was Zatanna, and introducing her to the gang this early could have catastrophic consequences. If it was anything Kryptonion she would have to tiptoe around Clark who did not know she knew about him, not to mention everybody else who did _not_ know about him. However, she knew enough about krypton that if she kept the whole thing quiet, she could probably make the situation work. The worst option would be technological advances from one of the major companies of the twenty-first century; in all likelihood, those advances would not have happened yet, meaning she would be working on reversing something that had not been done yet. If the technology did not exist, she was probably screwed, but she did not want to think about the option yet.

The computer crashed, "Shit!" _stupid 2005 technology_, she thought. She tried to start it back up again, but in order to do that, she would need to charge it first, and the power was still out.

"You know what, it's late, maybe we should all go to bed, and we can help you get home in the morning." Clark said.

CHLOE smiled at him appreciatively.

"And where is she supposed to sleep genius?" Lois asked. Clark rolled his eyes. Knowing what the future held for Lois and Clark, CHLOE could not help but smirk a little at their clear distain for one another. It had been so long since their insults and hatred had been genuine, and it was intriguing to see now. She stifled her smirk quickly, knowing that even in the dark, Clark was certain to see it. The last thing she wanted was to be bombarded with questions she knew she could not answer.

"Well, I guess she could stay with her younger self. That makes the most sense right?"

"Speaking as said younger self," Chloe said, annoyance at the way Clark had referred to her apparent in her voice, "I seriously doubt my dad wouldn't have some questions about housing two mes. The safest place would probably be with Lana, considering she lives by herself."

"I would love to, but Jason stops by so much, he basically lives there too, and this would be sort of hard to explain. I guess I could tell him I needed some space-"

"Don't do that." CHLOE said quickly. Lana should not say or do anything with Jason she had not done originally. If Lana chose to ask Jason for space, I could not be because of anything CHLOE did. "I don't want you two having issues because of me. Besides, your place is barely big enough for you."

"You can stay here." Clark said, seeing where this was going. His home was the largest and his parents would be the most understanding of the situation.

CHLOE smiled again. "Thanks Clark." She said genuinely.

"We could stay and help out, sleep over or something so we could make things easier in the morning." Lana suggested, feeling guilty about not being able to put CHLOE up.

"I just have to ask my parents, fill them in on everything-"

"Yeah, Clark, about that," CHLOE interrupted, "obviously your parents have to know, but I don't think that the people aware of me being here should expand beyond that." Clark looked at her questioningly, "If people know I'm from the future, they're going to want to know everything about what happens to them."

"Well, it's not like you couldn't tell them." Chloe said to herself.

"As a matter of fact, I couldn't." CHLOE said, her tone extremely serious and slightly dark, "timelines are fragile. One cannot simply change random events at whim."

"Okay, but aren't there events you would want to change, or warnings you would want to give." Chloe was dumbfounded. How could any version of herself not be dying to know everything or tell everybody? That was what she did; she was Chloe Sullivan, curious to a fault. How could this stoic, secretive person be her?

"Of course, nobody's life is perfect, and after a blunder or tragedy people always think 'what if' but it's purely conjecture. If faced with the real life possibility of altering the timeline, things get a lot more complicated. Messing with time is far too dangerous. One can never predict the consequences."

For the first time, Chloe took a good look at her older self, and the others followed suit. CHLOE's hair was still short, a similar style to what she had now, but it was slightly matted with dirt. Her clothes were worn and dirty, her face wore no make-up, and her eyes were sad and empty of hope. The familiar glimmer was long gone from them. Clark noted a bruise by her ear and a cut above her eye. Focusing, he x-rayed her, and looked at her in shock as he noted the broken bones, the shrunken stomach, the bruises, and unattended cuts.

Chloe unconsciously wrapped her arms around her chest. She was not so uncomfortable with them all perusing her, but she recognized the look in Clark's eyes.

"Could you all please stop looking at me like that." she said, calmly. The statement included all, but her eyes were focused on Clark. Everybody else looked away awkwardly, and after a minute, Clark took his eyes off of her as well. The concern was still all over his face. On the one hand, Chloe was angry with him for violating her like that, but she understood why he had done it. She also understood she could not yell at him without revealing she knew his secret. However, the look on his face, the concern for her welfare warmed her to her core. It had been so long since she had seen that concern for her in his eyes. Even before she had left, things had gotten so distant between them. Ever since Jimmy…

No, she could not let herself think about Jimmy. It would be too tempting to try and save him, and altering the past that much… she had asked Clark to save him with the legion ring, and she had wanted it with all her heart, but she knew he had been right. Changing the past was always too dangerous.

She focused again on the concern in Clark's eyes. _Long lost friend, where have you gone._ She returned his look with one of gratitude, followed by a bittersweet smile. Clark could not quite decipher her look, she knew, but he would know it was well intended, and that was enough.

"I'm going to go talk to my parents." He said again, leaving the room. The rest of them stood there, waiting. What else could they do?


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Clark explained the situation to his parents, and they were more than happy to house CHLOE until she could find her way home. They loved Chloe; they always had.

"Do you think she knows about me? I mean, she did not say how far in the future she's from, but I get the feeling it's been a while. Maybe I've told her." Clark said, somewhat hopefully. Ever since Pete had left, Clark had missed having a friend to talk about his powers with.

"Maybe, but there is no way to know. Unless she says anything, it's probably best to go on as though she doesn't." Jonathan said. He and Martha both knew how Clark felt hiding, but all three of them knew it was necessary.

* * *

Lana and Chloe each went home to get supplies for sleeping over and to establish their alibis. In the mean time, Mrs. Kent set CHLOE up in the shower. CHLOE had been reluctant at first. In her time, she was a hostage constantly undergoing torture, and she did not want to soften her skin too much by readjusting to luxuries. She needed to keep tough for when she went back. But she was filthy, and tired, and Mrs. Kent was very insistent. Finally, CHLOE agreed.

* * *

She stripped herself down and turned on the hot water. Then she stepped into the shower. She felt the scalding water massage her scalp and slid down her shoulders and her back. So much of her body was stinging from each cut, scrape and bruise. The water worked into the fresher wounds until they began to ooze a little and Chloe felt the clean blood mix with the water on her body and fall to her feet. She planned to grab the soap, but first, she just stood there, letting the water wash over her, massage herm sting her, burn her, and clean her out. She felt old skin and dirt fall to the ground beside her. The water wore away all layers until only her purified skin remained. She was still covered with scabs, but her body had shed much of its burdens. She turned the knob to heat the water more. It burned, but she liked it. It was all she could feel now. She felt tears tug at her eyes, but she did not dare let herself cry. She knew Clark could hear her, no matter how loud she made the water. Besides, if she started now, she might never stop.

Forty-five minutes later, CHLOE emerged from the shower. She had scrubbed her self vigorously from head to toe. She had even cleaned out her cuts, but she would not tend to them. She needed them to remind her where she was supposed to be, and how strong she needed to remain. She could cover most of them, and she knew Clark would never risk his secret in telling her he could see them. In fact, unless, prompted, she knew he was unlikely to violate her privacy again like that.

* * *

Lana was packing her things carefully. She did not want to forget anything. Chloe was one of her best friends; she was the only person Lana could always count on. Lana desperately wanted to be there for her. She remembered the haunted, empty look in the older version of her friend's eyes when she had seen her earlier. The look showed loneliness, and a complete loss of hope. What had become of her friend? Well, whatever it had been, she knew she could not just stand by and let it happen again. She needed to know what had gone wrong in Chloe's life. Nobody should feel that alone.

Before leaving, she checked her answering machine. Jason had not called. Lana sighed. There last conversation had been…strange, to say the least. She was starting to feel like it did not matter who she dated; they all ended up keeping things from her. She knew Jason was lying t her, and she knew it involved his mother. She wanted to give him space, but with what she had learned about his family's possible connection to Isabel, she felt as though whatever he was hiding was about her. Maybe she was just being paranoid. She checked the messages again just in case. Then she wrote a note incase Jason came by, and headed for the Kent farm.

* * *

"Looks like we're all set." Clark said. The original. Chloe was staying in his room. Lois was taking the couch, and everybody else was taking sleeping bags and bunking in the barn. Chloe had offered to sleep in the barn with them, but Clark knew the extent of her injuries, and even though he could not tell her that, he was insistent that she sleep in his bed. They all knew where to find each other if something happened. They were all close by, and they would all be there to help her get home in the morning.

* * *

CHLOE kept tossing and turning in her sleep. She kept dreaming about her captors, the last few weeks, and Ollie. She could not help but be a little terrified. They knew where to find him, and without her hanging around, there was nothing to stop them from going after him. Her dreams, or really memories, were vivid. After jerking awake the third time, she gave up. She was not getting any sleep tonight. She tried to slip out of bed, and found herself sticking slightly. She had been sweating like crazy during her nightmares. So much for being clean, she thought as she headed down stairs. Tiptoeing around as not to wake Lois, she headed to the kitchen and made herself some hot tea to calm her nerves. Then she headed out to the barn.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked, climbing up the steps to the loft where Clark stood, arms folded across his chest, watching the night sky. He nodded, "Me too." She said. She offered him a sip of her tea, but he declined.

"Chloe, what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you first got here, you gulped down the water like you've been living in a desert. You have some cuts, and bruises, and you probably have more injuries under your clothes. How-"

"Clark," she said, cutting him off, "I already told you, I can't talk about it."

"Why? I mean, if we could prevent you getting hurt like this-"

"I can't explain it, okay. You are just going to have to trust me. If this were my time, you would be the first to warn me not to alter the timeline."

Clark shook his head. He did not want to push her, but he could see how kicked around she had been. How could he have let this happen to her? How could he have sat back and just let her get hurt? Unless…

"Chloe?" he ventured slowly, "You and I, are we still…I mean, we're in each others lives, right."

"Your not a very good listener, are you." She said with a slight chuckle. He looked at her with desperate eyes. She tried to look away. She knew what he must have been doing. He was blaming himself, as he always did, thinking that it was his fault she was hurt, "Okay, here's what I'll give you. I cannot tell you who is alive or dead, who drifts apart, and who doesn't, I cannot tell you if you and I are friends, strangers, lovers, or enemies. But here is what I will tell you, regardless of what we are to each other, there is nothing you could ever do to make me stop loving you. Whether that love is platonic, romantic, or familial, can't say, but I have always loved you, in one way or another. And I always, always will. We all make mistakes, Clark. Nobody's perfect. Nobody can protect everybody. But I have made my own choices. I am my own person, and I have earned the right to do that. Wherever I have ended up, it is where I was meant to be, and I would not change it. Not for anything. I know you think every bruise or cut n my body is there because of something you didn't do, but despite your imperfections, and the mistakes we have each made, you have earned every ounce of the love I have for you. You are not the guy who did not protect me enough, and I will clobber you if you think so."

Clark chuckled. It made CHLOE happy to see him smile like that again, and sad, because she knew those smiles, and those moments, were gone forever. She was no longer the girl who built him up when he was a mess, no longer his own personal cheerleader. He had Lois now, and while she was a woman he was in love with, she also was somebody he could talk to. And she knew that Lois knew. She had seen it when she had put on Dr. Fate's helmet. Lois was meant to guide him towards the light. She had done her job, and now she needed to take a step back and let his future wife take the reigns. It should be easy, considering she had become a hostage. She did not know for certain if she would ever see Clark Kent again. But now she saw him, a younger him. The him that had relied on a younger her for everything because he had trusted her with his life, and she ached for that bond again.

Clark noticed her change in demeanor, "Are you all right?" he asked.

CHLOE nodded and put on a fake smile, "I think I might try to sleep again." She said, as she headed back to the house. Clark watched her go, as did Lana, who nobody had noticed had stirred from sleep around when CHLOE had entered the loft.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Clark headed toward the house, and when he opened the door, he was hit with a variety of mouthwatering smells.

"Well, this is a nice surprise." He heard his mother say as she came down the stairs.

CHLOE turned from the stove with a smile on her face, "Well, it's just my way of saying thank you, for, you know, letting me stay here, and not asking too many questions."

"One day hear and you're already a better house-guest than Lois," Clark said, grabbing a plate. Martha gave him a chastising look, but CHLOE just smirked. It would be a long time before Clark started to see Lois as anything other than a pain in the ass.

"Speak of the devil," he said as Lois entered the kitchen.

"Smells great, Mrs. K." she said, grabbing a plate and loading it with pancakes.

"Actually, I made it." CHLOE said, handing her a napkin.

"Since when can you cook?" Lois asked, her mouth still full of pancakes.

"I could always cook, Lo, I just, pretended I couldn't, so you wouldn't feel so bad."

"Why would I feel bad?" Lois asked, reaching for a drink.

"No offense Lo, but, um, have you tasted your cooking?"

Clark chuckled, but when his mother shot him a look, he covered it with a cough.

"Something smells great." Mr. Kent said as he headed down the stairs. CHLOE froze. She had not had the chance to see him after the time warp; she knew she would be coming face to face with living ghost. Turning back to the stove, she tried to prepare herself. She could not let on anything, but she had cared about Clark's father, and while seeing him again would not have the same effect on her as it would have on Clark, Martha, or even Lois, who had never had a real father, she knew I would be hard. She mentally psyched herself up, and then turned.

"Good morning, um, what should we call you?" he said. CHLOE realized that calling her CHLOE might get a little confusing, considering there was another Chloe asleep in the barn. She had known that if she ever escaped the Suicide Squad, she would have to create a new identity, and she had been playing with some possible aliases.

"Nellie." She said, and Clark and Lois exchanged a knowing look. The full name she had come up with was actually Nellie Olsen Sagitto, but that information was not necessary yet. Lois and Clark knew that Nellie was for her favorite reporter, as the name had been used as a codeword in hiding her in the past. Olsen had been to honor Jimmy's memory. She had also wanted to honor her time with Ollie, but considering who he was, taking his name would have been a little too conspicuous. Aside from that, unlike Jimmy, Ollie had never asked her to take his name, for all intents and purposes, and she would not have felt right about it. So, she had gone with the Latin word for arrow: sagitto. However, admitting that she had put any thought into her alias would only give more clues about her current situation, and that was not something she could afford. It would be best, for now, if they only knew her as Nellie.

"It will take some getting used to for me to start answering to it, but I think I can make it work." She said with a smile. Then she turned back to the stove.

* * *

Lana watched the current Chloe sleep. She seemed so peaceful, smiling. How could she grow up to be so miserable? She had heard CHLOE and Clark talking last night. She knew she should not have been eavesdropping, but both of them were just so guarded. She had not intended to do it, not really. It had just sort of happened. She had been presented with an opportunity, and she had taken it. She felt guilty, and she promised herself she would never do it again, but she could not undo what had been done.

She thought about what she had heard. It was clear that Chloe still had so much love for Clark, even in the future. Lana could not help feel a little jealous of that fact, which was not right, she knew. She was with Jason, and she loved him. Her and Clark had been over for a long time. Still, it stung a little, and she had to wonder if Clark returned Chloe's feelings, in the future, or now. Lana had always been slightly envious of Chloe's relationship with Clark. They were so close; Clark trusted Chloe. She remembered once Chloe had told her that the reason Clark felt more comfortable confiding in her, as opposed to Lana, was because he was not in love with her. Lana had wanted to believe that, but she couldn't. She had always believed that a big part of love was trust. When she had been with Clark, she had shared everything with him, her heart, her thoughts, her whole self. When you love somebody, you feel comfortable telling that person things that you could never say to anybody else. As much as it had hurt, Lana knew Clark had never felt that way about her. If he had, he would have felt comfortable opening up to her; he would not have pushed her away. That was one of the things she had liked about Jason. He had been open with her; it had been clear that he loved her. But now he was starting to push her away as well. She wondered briefly if she was the problem, then she realized she was allowing herself to get sidetracked. Her mind went back to Chloe and Clark's conversation. The more she thought about it, the more she thought Chloe and Clark were not together in the future. Chloe was clearly miserable, and lonely, and she acted as though she was experiencing a rare treat, as though her and Clark talking like this was not something she had gotten the chance to do in a long time. No, Chloe was not with Clark. In fact, Lana would bet she was not with anyone. Could it have been her love for Clark; could that have prevented her from moving on with her life and finding happiness? Chloe deserved to be happy, Lana thought, determined.

"Hey." Lana started at Chloe/Nellie's voice. "Good, you're up."

"Yeah. I'm up."

"Well, breakfast is ready when you want to come in."

"Thanks Chloe."

"Actually, we're going with Nellie now, you know, to avoid confusion." Chloe/Nellie said with a smile.

"Smart."

Chloe/Nellie, turned to leave, then turned back to Lana, "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah. I've just been…doing a lot of thinking lately."

"Well, I can't really give advice, since I'm biased what with knowing what's going to happen, but I'm a good listener if you need to vent."

Lana laughed. "I appreciate that, but I think I'll take a rain check."

Chloe/Nellie nodded, "I understand."

The two of them headed back to the house.

* * *

"So, what are we looking for again." they had been working for hours, trying to find out how Chloe/Nellie got here. If she were honest, she would have preferred to work in private, as this was limiting, but saying that might be too much information. With time travel, you can never be too careful.

"Trends." She said, focusing hard on her screen.

"Nothing so far." Lois said, her tone implying her boredom.

Clark looked at her, annoyed, "You know, Lois, if you don't want to help-"

"Relax, Smallville, just because you're too much of a wimp to admit this is boring, doesn't mean I can't. We all know it's boring, doesn't mean I don't want to help."

Clark rolled his eyes. Lois really was very annoying.

Lana's phone went off. She checked the caller ID, "It's Jason." Clark grimaced as she said it.

"Go ahead. Don't let us stop you." Chloe/Nellie said.

Lana went into the other room.

"Hey."

"Hey. I'm, uh, going to be going out of town soon, some business for Lex. Do you maybe want to do something tonight, you know, so I don't forget you and hook up with somebody else while I'm in Metropolis." Lana chuckled a little at his small joke, but she could not help but think about how Clark had gone to Metropolis and hooked up with other girls. All right, so she did not know that for certain, but based on the way he had been acting at the time, it was fair to assume he had been … promiscuous.

"Sounds great." She said, but then remembered the predicament they were currently working on, "But, um, I kind of have plans with Chloe."

"Can't you cancel?"

"She really needs her friends right now."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. It's just, you know, girl stuff."

"Okay, well, if your plans change-"

"You'll be the first to know?" she said. They said goodbye and hung up. She could have asked Chloe, but she did not want to be insensitive and abandon ship. Also, though she was ashamed to admit it, she was a little glad to have an excuse not to see Jason tonight. Everything with his mom and Isabel was just so much, and it seemed like that was all they ever talked about lately. When had her relationship with Jason become so hard? It used to be so simple. But then, she supposed all relationships are simple in the beginning, and then get hard. If it was the right person though, you stuck around for the hard. And Jason was the right person… wasn't he?

"Lana? Is everything okay?" one of the Chloes called to her from the living room. She could not tell which one. They looked different enough, but the voices were basically identical.

"Yeah, I'll be right there." She said, putting her phone back in her pocket. Then, she came back out and went back to solving the mystery.

* * *

It was getting late, and the gang was had headed to bed. Clark had insomnia once again, and this time, he was approached by Lana, who was also having trouble sleeping.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked as she climbed up to the loft. Clark motioned that it was okay.

"You know I haven't slept straight since this whole thing began." He said.

Lana nodded. "It's a lot to take in."

"I want so badly to know what she knows, but…"

"I know what you mean. It's hard not to wonder what she's seen." After a pause, she spoke again, "Where do you suppose we are in her time?"

Clark looked at her surprised, "We, as in…?"

Lana's eyes widened, "No, no, I didn't mean, um …wow that's awkward." She said, chuckling awkwardly.

Clark chuckled a little too, "You meant, separately, not, we, but where are you and where am I." Lana nodded in conformation, "Um, I'm not sure. I've tried to guess, based on Chloe, or, um, Nellie, I guess, but she plays it pretty close to the vest."

"Yeah. I've noticed. But, I'm sure she has her reasons."

"Yeah." Clark said with a snort.

Lana smiled, "Well, I should head to bed."

She started to head down the stairs, "Lana." Clark said, and she turned. He did not actually know what he had wanted to say. He just had not wanted her to leave, "Nothing."

Lana smiled again, that same sad smile she always smiled whenever Clark pushed her away. As she walked back to the bedroom, she kept thinking about what Clark had thought she was asking. Where would they be in the future? What would they be to each other?


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Author's Note: This Chapter is dedicated to reviewer Alice Jonas. You would be surprised how far a little encouragement can go. Sorry it took so long for this update. Forgive me?

* * *

It had been four days since Chloe/Nellie had arrived, and still little progress had been made. She did her best to avoid any interaction, and the bulk of her research happened when everybody was at school. She had no clues so far, but she would find some. She was beginning to wonder if she was approaching this the wrong way. Maybe the first priority should be finding a way home, even if it was not the way she had gotten there, and figuring out the rest after.

She knew she had to return soon, she knew; she had no clue what her mere presence was doing to the timeline, not to mention what her absence from her captures would mean. If she were gone too long, would they go after Ollie? They knew who he was, and they knew how to find him. She shuttered at the thought, picturing Ollie's sweet face, bruised and bleeding, being beaten as she had been. No! She could not let that happen. Not to Ollie. He meant too much; she loved him too much. She wished she had told him more, not just once, screaming through a walkie-talkie as he was being taken from her. She had wanted to, but after Jimmy …

Lois, Lana, Clark, and her younger self walked through the front door, and she was thankful for the interruption from her thoughts. She rarely let herself think about him in her own time, but thinking about him now would be more dangerous than ever.

"How goes the research 'cuz?" Lois asked. Then she turned towards Chloe, "It's okay if I call her 'cuz, right?"

Chloe shrugged, "As long as it does not confuse you, it's fine with me."

Lois smiled, then turned back to Chloe/Nellie. "So, verdict?"

"No progress as of yet." Chloe/Nellie said with a smile.

"Well, you have your little worker bees now. Tell us what to do."

Chloe/Nellie thought for a minute. While it was true that she had not made any real progress, she did feel she was getting farther by working on her own. Besides, they should be doing other things, whatever they did originally. "Well, actually-" Chloe/Nellie started to say, but then the phone rang.

"I'll get it." Clark said.

"It's your house Smallville, who else would get it?" Lois said, rolling her eyes at Clark's, in her opinion, unnecessary comment.

"Hello?"

"Hey." A voice Clark did not recognize said, "Is Chloe there? Um, Chloe Sullivan?"

"Hold on one minute." Clark said. He put his hand over the mouthpiece. "It's for, uh, one of you." He said, pointing at the two Chloes, "Um, well, probably you." He said, pointing at Chloe.

"Ask who it is." Chloe ordered, curious. Why was somebody calling her at the Kent's?

"May I ask who is calling?" Clark asked, and Lois rolled her eyes at his overly polite phrasing. Clark listened, and then turned to Chloe, "he says his name is Jimmy. That you know him from a few summers ago."

Chloe smiled fondly, but Chloe/Nellie's head shot up, "What?" she asked, an urgency in her voice that made everybody turn. "That's not-" she tried hard to think, to comprehend. Jimmy was not supposed to call. She was not supposed to see him again until _Dark Thursday_. She felt faint.

"Hang up!" she ordered.

"Okay, the calls for me, so I think I should get to decide-"

"Clark, hang up the damn phone!" Clark dropped the phone, a little scared by Chloe/Nellie's reaction. Chloe dove for it, but Chloe/Nellie ran for the base and pressed down hard on the part the hangs up the phone.

Chloe put the phone to her ear. "Hello?" nothing but a dial tone. She looked over to where Chloe/Nellie was standing, "Crap."

Chloe/Nellie breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't understand."

"What?" Clark asked cautiously as he turned to face her.

"That phone call … it never happened."

"Are you sure?"

"Believe me, I would have remembered."

Lana spoke up now, feeling embarrassed. "Um, actually, that's kind of my fault." Everybody turned to Lana, waiting, "Well, Chloe, you told me about Jimmy, a couple weeks ago, remember, and I thought … I called him."

"Why?" Chloe/Nellie asked.

"Because … because you seemed so miserable. And I thought, maybe I could prevent it, by reuniting you two somehow."

Chloe/Nellie shook her head, exhaling. "I appreciate the sentiment, but Lana, you really shouldn't have done that. I'm not supposed to see him again for, well, a while."

Chloe did her best to put on a strong face. She knew Clark could probably hear her heart beating rapidly, but she could probably fool the others. Her mind was racing. She could feel tears coming. She needed to leave the room, now!

She saw Chloe scrolling through the caller ID. "You can't call him back." Chloe/Nellie said firmly.

"Let me guess, I have to wait for time to catch up with me? But the thing is, he called, and he was not supposed to, which means things are already changing."

"You're right, which is why, it would probably be best, for all involved if you didn't have anything to do with him, ever." The words came out before she could stop them. But Chloe was right, the timeline was changing, and if it was changing anyway … it was selfish, she knew, changing the past to save him. But she had to. She had to at least try. And the words were out there now, and there was nothing she could do to unsay them.

"What? But I thought-"

"Trust me. Stay away from Jimmy Olsen." She said it so calmly, her voice so steady, but she was shaking, needing to burst. She walked to the barn as quickly as she could without looking suspicious, and she broke down. They were all in the other room now; she could cry. It was a good thing too, because she did not know if she could stop, even if she wanted to.

Lana, Lois, Clark, and Chloe all stood there, confused.

"Asshole." Lois finally said. Everybody turned towards her, confused, "What, it's obvious this Jimmy guy did something pretty horrible to Chloe. Maybe he is the reason she seems so miserable. Nice job Lana."

"She was only trying to help." Clark said defensively.

"No, she's right, I, I made a mistake. I just didn't want that to be her future, so lonely, so jaded."

"Hello, younger version of person in question standing right here."

"Yeah, who is Jimmy, anyway?" Clark said, turning to Chloe.

Chloe shifted awkwardly on her feet, "Just this guy I met when I was interning at the _Daily Planet_ a few years back."

"Maybe somebody should go talk to Chl-or-Nellie." Lana suggested, partially because she thought Chloe/Nellie could use a friend right now, and partially to save an awkward Chloe from having to talk about her first time. Chloe shot her a grateful look.

"Maybe. But how can we comfort her if she won't tell us anything?" Clark asked.

"Forget that," Lois said, "Let's track down this Jimmy guy and kick his ass."

Clark rolled his eyes, "We're looking for serious suggestions on how to handle the situation."

The phone rang again, and everybody stared at it like it was a plague or something. Finally, Lois picked it up. "Hello." Her voice was harsh, as was her expression, but her face softened when she heard the response, "Chlo, it's your dad."

Chloe went over to get the phone. "To be continued." She said to the group, implying they should not do or say anything without her. Then she left the room to talk to her dad.

Lois went over to the computer and used the number Jimmy had called from to track down his address. Lana and Clark just stood in silence for a few minutes.

"I think I'll go check on Nellie." Lana said, "After all, this is kind of my fault."

"You shouldn't blame yourself." Clark said.

"Yeah, we should blame the jackass who screwed Chloe over. I'm taking your car, by the way." she said, as the printer started going. Clark grabbed what came out, and Lois grabbed it from him.

"You tracked down where this guy lived."

"I wasn't kidding before. Nobody hurts my cousin." Lois said, grabbing the keys and heading outside.

"I'll go reason with her." Clark said to Lana and then headed out after Lois.

"Are you crazy! You cannot track down a random stranger and beat them up for something they haven't even done yet!"

"Clark, I know you care about Chloe, and she was really hurting. Do you want that to happen to her? Think about it. What if we can prevent it? What if we can stop this creep from doing whatever he did to her?"

She was right. Chloe was hurting, and she was scared, and more than any of them had known. Clark had heard her breathing, her heartbeat, he had seen her stiffen. He had heard her start to sob.

"Let's go."

* * *

Author's Note: Chlollie fans, and Chimmy fans, neither of you should be dissuaded by this chapter. I have a few surprises coming up, and I think you will be very satisfied.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Jimmy was feeling a little down. Two and a half years ago, he had met this amazing girl named Chloe, and they had hooked up, but then she had started ignoring him. He had wanted to call her so many times, but he was scared. Then, yesterday, he got an email from a girl claiming to be a friend of Chloe's, saying that Chloe had been talking about him lately, and that she thought he should give her a call. So today, he had gotten up his courage and called the number in the email. He had asked for Chloe, and identified himself. Then, he had been hung up on. Not the best love story. As much as he had liked Chloe, he refused to let it get him. Okay, so it was getting to him a little, but she had made her choice. He had to respect that. So, he sat down to a nice TV dinner and started to chow down. Then, the doorbell rang. He got up to answer it, and no sooner had he opened the door, then a fist hit him in the face.

* * *

"Lois, I thought we were going to talk to this guy."

"Telling a guy off is not enough to stop him from being an ass Clark. If he had enough brains to get that kind of message, he never would have screwed her over in the first place."

Lois lifted her fist again, but Clark put his hand up to block her from punching the boy whose nose she had probably already broken, "technically he hasn't."

"And I thought we came here to stop him from trying. God, Smallville, if you did not want to help, why did you come?"

"I don't want her to get hurt, but there are other ways."

"You are such a boy scout!"

"Excuse me, but can I interrupt?" Jimmy asked, slightly agitated. His voice was a little hard to make out because of his recent conference with Lois's fist.

"Nope," Lois said, punching him in the gut. Clark could have stopped it if he had gone super-speed, but he would not have been able to explain it to Lois. Besides, to be perfectly honest, a part of him agreed with Lois. _That's a scary thought._

* * *

Lana knocked lightly on the door. Chloe/Nellie was curled up on the bed. She wiped her eyes and looked up.

"Lana, I really don't want any company right now."

"I just wanted to apologize-"

Chloe/Nellie shook her head, "It's okay. You didn't know."

Lana smiled weakly, "And, I thought you might need a friend."

"You're not my friend." Chloe/Nellie said. Lana looked at her surprised, "You're hers, and I'm not her anymore."

"But you look like her, and someday, you will be her. I don't like seeing you so upset." Chloe/Nellie tried to smile through her newly forming tears, "God, Chloe, what did the guy do to you?"

Suddenly, Chloe/Nellie's face changed. It was mixture of fear, anger, and … Lana did not know, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Jimmy Olsen, is an amazing, wonderful man. It isn't what he did to me that I want to prevent. It's what I did to him." Then, Chloe/Nellie felt them, really felt them, every tear she had never let fall since Jimmy had died. Every tear she could not cry because every shoulder to lean on had disappeared. Every bit of guilt, every bit of pain. She felt it all. He friend was here, caring about her pain, something she had not had in a long time, and she said the words she had never been able to say, "I got him killed."

Lana's eyes widened. Then, she rushed forward, drawing Chloe/Nellie into a hug. The two of them stood there for a few minutes. Then, they heard a knock.

"Hey." Chloe said, "There you are. Sorry to interrupt, but do you know where Lois and Clark went?"

"They're not there?" Lana asked, fear creeping into her eyes.

"No, and Clark's car's gone."

"Oh no."

"What?" Chloe asked

"They didn't know. They…"

"Lana, what is it?"

"Lois thought Jimmy was going to hurt you. She was going to go straighten him out. Clark was going to try and stop her, but it guess-"

"Oh my god!" Chloe/Nellie said, catching on. "We have to go stop her."

"We can take my car." Chloe said, "It's small, but we should be able to fit."

* * *

When they finally arrived, Lana and Chloe/Nellie had explained to Chloe that Jimmy was a good guy.

However, Chloe/Nellie still emphatically pressed the point that Chloe should have nothing to do with him, which was something Chloe could not understand. Chloe/Nellie was already kicking herself for slipping in front of Lana, but hearing somebody say bad things about Jimmy, after everything that had happened, she just had to explain. And then she could not stop. But she had stopped now, and Lana could tell she was not supposed to say anything about Chloe getting Jimmy killed, so she did not.

Chloe parked her cramped little car in front of the house that Google said Jimmy lived at and closed the door behind her. Lana and Chloe/Nellie ran out after her. Chloe/Nellie banged frantically on the door. Clark answered it.

"Chl-" he did not get to finish. Chloe/Nellie brushed right passed him to Jimmy, who was sitting crumpled up on the floor, bleeding. She looked at him, horrified.

"I stopped her from doing anything serious." Clark said. She barely heard him. Lois had been doing this to protect her. It was because of her. Why was she always hurting him?

"Jimmy." She heard herself whisper. She was choking on the tears in her throat, and thought it best to not look at him. He was alive. He was wounded. He was alive. It was her fault he was wounded. But he was alive. Jimmy was alive. He was right in front of her. Her head was spinning. She felt weak. She could feel her legs collapsing beneath her, and she grasped for a surface to hold unto. Oh, how she loved him. How she ached, seeing him like that. She knew she could not keep watching. She knew it just might kill her. She was always hurting the men she loved. She felt tears again and ordered them back. She needed to be practical. It was the only way to save Jimmy. She had to not mourn him, not love him. It was the only way to never lose him.

"Lana, you tend to his wounds, Clark, take me to Lois, Chloe," she winced as she saw Jimmy look up, recognition spreading across his face, "go wait by the car." She said. It had to be this way. She had to protect him. Her resolve had weakened. She had already changed things, and at this point, she had no choice. Seeing him there, she could do nothing else.

* * *

"Lois, how could you?"

"Nobody hurts my baby cousin, past, present, or future, without getting a serious confrontation."

"You didn't have to hit him."

"That's what I said." Clark said. Lois glared at him.

"Um, Clark, could you give us a minute?" Chloe/Nellie asked.

Clark nodded reluctantly and left the room.

"Look, Lois, I love you. You know that. You are an amazing cousin and I love how protective you are, but I can take care of myself."

"Then why were you so upset? Why did you knock the phone away from younger you? Why did you tell her to never come near this guy?"

"It's complicated."

"You've been spending too much time with Clark." Lois said.

Chloe smirked, remember Clark's old catchphrase when it came to talking about anything involving his lineage. It felt nice, to have her lips turning upward again, if a little unfamiliar.

"Lois, trust me, if a guy hurt me, I would be more than capable of punishing him for it, but whatever happened, it's between him and me. I'm the one who needs to deal with it."

Lois paused.

* * *

While Chloe/Nellie went to confront Lois, Lana and Chloe were left to deal with a bleeding Jimmy.

"Where are your medical supplies?" Chloe asked Jimmy. He pointed vaguely, then winced in pain "Never mind, I'll find them myself." Chloe went off on her search, Lana following close behind.

"Nellie told you to go wait in the car." Lana said, uneasily.

"Well, considering she's me, you think she would know that I am not going to listen. They're probably in here right?" Chloe said, pointing at an open bathroom door.

""Chloe, maybe you should listen to her. Look at the mess I made by trying to change things."

"I don't know." Chloe shrugged, "I mean, it was definitely a high-tension night, but maybe it's for the best. I mean, if I'm being honest, even with bruises and blood all over him, it's kind of nice to see Jimmy again."

* * *

"Hey." Chloe said, leaning down next to Jimmy.

He gave her a weak smile, "Hey, your friend packs quite a punch."

"Actually, she's my cousin." Chloe said, chuckling slightly.

"Does it run in the family?"

"Well, you better not piss me off so you don't have to find out."

Jimmy chuckled a little, and then winced.

"Don't move so much." Chloe warned.

"Right." Jimmy said. "So, can I ask you something?"

"Okay." Chloe said, as she gently cleaned his wounds.

"Do you have a twin or something?"

Chloe looked at him confused, "What, no, I …" then she realized why he was asking, "Oh, her, well, it's a long story."

* * *

Clark had wandered off and was exploring the house.

"They kick you out?" he heard Lana ask from behind him.

"Hey." Clark said, turning to face her, "Um, yeah. You?"

"Yeah."

Clark chuckled, "Somehow, I didn't see Chloe waiting in the car."

"She certainly is strong-willed."

Clark smiled, "You'd think she'd remember that about herself."

"It's weird, all this going on, people separating into their groups, you and I are the ones kicked out."

"They just wanted privacy."

"I understand that. It's just hard."

Clark thought of something, "You know, you are being pretty understanding of Chloe, or, uh, Nellie's need for secrecy." He tried to sound casual when he said it.

Lana looked up, knowing what he was alluding to, "Well, I understand where she's coming from." There was a pause, "And she's my friend. This is what she needs. I'm going to stand by her." Clark looked down, "What?"

"It's just, when we were together, you didn't exactly take that attitude."

"That's not true." Lana said, defensively.

"Yeah, it kind of is, not that I blame you, I just, I wonder…" Clark trailed off, not sure where he was going.

"Clark, I may never have been happy with you keeping secrets, but that did not mean I was going to abandon you. In fact, if I remember correctly, you were the one who broke up with me. You were the one who decided I couldn't handle it."

"Well, you weren't exactly happy, were you? Was I supposed to be selfish and stay with you, watching you become more and more miserable?"

"You were supposed to trust me to make my own decision, to know if something was too much for me to handle, and let me walk away when and if _I_ wanted to. It was not _your _choice Clark. Whether or not I loved, whether or not I wanted to be with, it wasn't up to you."

"Why are we even arguing about this?"

"I don't know. You brought it up?" suddenly, Lana felt her anger and frustration draining, and she smiled. Then, she chuckled, and Clark joined her.

* * *

"Wow," Jimmy said, trying to wrap his mind around all Chloe had told him. "That's, uh, you know, I was never sure what to think about the stuff you told me that summer, meteor mutants and things, but this, well, wow."

"You're telling me. You have no clue how it feels to look at yourself and know that it is not a mirror." Chloe said, carefully arranging the bandages.

Jimmy chuckled slightly, "So, uh, we have to stay away from each other then. Not change the past." He sounded disappointed. And to be honest, she was too, because catching up with him had felt nice, talking to him, enjoying his company, watching his face and how he responded to things, cleaning his wounds. It was not incredibly sexy or anything, but it was nice. Maybe friend nice, maybe more than friend nice, but nice either way.

"Well," Chloe began cautiously, "That is what she has been saying. But it seems to me we have already changed so much. Besides, I think her memory is a little off, if she does not remember how much I don't like taking orders. Being around somebody I am not supposed to be around, changing time, I don't know…" she sat up smiling as she inspected her handiwork, "it sounds kind of fun."

When they left that night, Lana and Clark had a feeling of confusion over their awkward moment, Lois had a mystery to solve, Chloe/Nellie had a boy to save, and Chloe, well, she had Jimmy's cell phone number.


	7. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Hello.

So, I know it has been a really long time since I have updated, and I apologize for that.

I have a lot of stories going right now, and it can be hard to keep track sometimes, plus sometimes there is writers block, and also life, which unfortunately gets in the way of fan fictions which we all know are more important.

I wanted to assure all of you that while it has been a while, and I do not know how soon I will be updating, I am NOT, I repeat NOT, dropping this story.

I hate when people drop stories, and when I made my account I promised myself I would never drop one.

So, yes, it may be a while, depending on other factors, but I promise you, unless I unexpectedly die, this story and all of the others will be finished. Maybe not today, or this week, or even this month, but they will be. I understand if you don't want to wait around, because it might be a while, but I promise, I will finish these stories. I just wanted to make that clear, and apologize for how long it is taking.

Have a good day.

Sincerely,

~RedTailedHawkens


End file.
